Do You Want to Know Your Genes?

Just received an interesting link to an article about mapping DNA. Troy Mosley at Sportsmith sent it my way after reading my editorial in the October issue that talks about the possibility that obesity could be caused by a person's genes rather than laziness or bad habits. It made me wonder if I would want to know everything about my DNA. Would I want to know if I had a cancer gene, an obese gene or an Alzheimer‘s gene? Just having a gene doesn't mean you'll get that disease or condition, the article states. However, if this information gets out to insurance companies and employers, how might that affect their coverage or employment of you? Not to mention, how would you live your life differently if you knew you had a certain gene?

What do you think? Would you want to know if you had a gene for a certain disease or condition (such as obesity)? Why or why not? How would you live differently if you knew you had a gene for a fatal or debiliatating disease? As club owners and fitness professionals, how would knowing this information about members affect the way you treat clients and the way you run your business? - Pam